Rick Scott is joining Donald Trump in court today. Here's why. – Tampa Bay Times
As former President Donald Trump sits in court, he will have a friend nearby.
That friend? Rick Scott.
Scott, Florida’s Republican U.S. senator up for reelection this year, said he plans to attend the trial Thursday in a show of support.
“I support Donald Trump. This is just political persecution,” Scott said Thursday on the Fox News program Fox & Friends. “If we don’t stop this, they can go after you. Every American’s at risk. I’m going to go support this president because this is wrong, what’s happening to this guy.”
Trump is facing 34 felony counts in New York because prosecutors allege he reimbursed a former personal lawyer $130,000 in hush money payments to a porn star during the 2016 election season. Prosecutors say that reimbursement was purposely mislabeled by Trump’s company, meaning the company illegally falsified business records.
That adult film actress, Stormy Daniels, has taken the stand in recent days, much to Trump’s dismay. She will return to the stand Thursday.
Scott likened Trump’s trial to his own legal ordeal with the federal government. In the 1990s, Scott left Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., the hospital company he led at the time, amid federal allegations of fraud in the company. The company eventually pleaded guilty to 14 felonies, but Scott has maintained his innocence for years.
On Thursday, Scott said his company was persecuted by the Department of Justice because he pushed back on health care reforms being pushed by then-first lady Hillary Clinton.
“I saw this. It happened to me,” Scott said. “I fought HillaryCare, and guess what happened when I fought HIllaryCare? (The Department of Justice) came after me, attacked me and my company.”
In a post to X, Florida Democratic Party chairperson Nikki Fried said she agreed with the comparison between Scott and Trump — in at least one sense.
“We agree, they are both fraudsters and criminals,” Fried wrote.
We agree, they are both fraudsters and criminals. https://t.co/JqMU1Y4eeo
In remarks to reporters outside the courtroom, Scott harshly criticized the trial of the former president. He called the prosecution politically motivated, arguing that they are supporters of President Joe Biden who are trying to harm Trump’s chances in the 2024 election.
“This is just a bunch of Democrats saying, ‘We want to make sure that Donald Trump can’t talk,” Scott said. “They’ve got a gag order so he can’t go campaign. They’ve got him holed up in a courtroom, so Joe Biden can go campaign, but Donald Trump can’t. This has to stop.”
In remarks of his own Thursday, Trump gave a shout-out to Scott, echoing the senator’s call for an end to what he has called “political persecutions.”
Scott said Trump did not request his presence at the hearing.
This is a breaking news story that may be updated.
Kirby Wilson is a politics reporter, covering the leaders of Florida and explaining the political landscape. Reach him at kwilson@tampabay.com.
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